Apparatus for producing stage illusions.



- 253T AVAILABLE COP 804,637. PATENTED NOV. 14, 19 05.

B. THORN & T. N. DOWNS. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STAGE ILLUSIONS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.8, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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BEST AVAYLABLE coP PAT-BNTED NOV. 14, 1905.

E. THORN 6: 1'. N. DOWNS.

3 FOR PRODUCING STAGE ILL APPLICATION FILED BEP'Lfi. 1904.

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WITNESSES BEST AVAHABLE C No. 804,637. PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905. E. THORN& T.'N. DOWNS.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STAGE ILLUSIONS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.8. 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

EST AVAlL-ABLE COP UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST THORN AND THOMAS NELSON DOWNS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND;

SAID THORN ASSIGNOR TO SAID DOIVNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, lacs.

Application filed September 8, 1904. Serial No. 223,781.

To roll-1072 0117, it may concern- Be it known that we, ERNEST THORN, acitizen ofAustria-Hungary, and THOMAS NELSON DowNs, a citizen of theUnited States, both residing at 4 St. Albins Place, Regent street '8.W., London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Apparatus for Producing Stage Illusions; and we do hereby declare thefollowin 'to be a full, clear, and exact description of tire invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing a stage illusionwherein a table and a person or an object suspended underneath the tableare both caused ap arently to disappear suddenly or vanish witliout themanner of their disappearance being detected, and comprises a table, asupport for the table having the appearance of a second table, butprovided with hollow legs and a false top or top portion and a canvassheeting, paddedtrough, or the like arranged at a suitable distancebelow the false top of the support and screened b a drapery hangintherefrom, the two ta les being so arrange that on releasing a catch thele s of the real table slide down into those of t e false table and aperson or object sus ended from the real table passes through t e falsetop into the sheetin or padded trou h, the to of the real table t entaking the p ace of t e false top of the sup ort, so that there appearsto be only one ta le left.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fi ure 1 is a side elevation of a tableprovide with a hammock and the support into which the table and hammockare arranged to disappear. Fig. 2 is a plan of the support or falsetable with the greater portion of the padded trough and top left out.Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken alon the llne a; as, Fig. 2; andFig. 4 is an enlarge section taken at y y, Fig. 2.

A table a, having four legs 1), preferably formed of steel tubing, andan ordinary top 0, under which a hammock d or other support issuspended, is placed upon a false table or support e, also having fourlegs f, of steel tubing, connected to a metal framing g and strengthenedby braces h, fixed to the bottoms of the legs and to the framing g. The

brackets u on frame 8.

legs f of the false table 6 are each formed of such a diameter that thelegs I) of the table a can telescope or slide freely therein, and whenthe table a, is placed on the table 6 the centers of the correspondinglegs of both tables coincide, the legs bof table a, resting when in theposition shown in Fig. 1 on catches or bolts h, which project throu hsuitable openings into the hollow legs f of the false table. Thesecatches or bolts may be 0 erated in any suitable manner to release t 1etable a. As shown in Fig. 2, the catches for each pair of legs atopposite ends of the table are formed of a bar 71, mounted to slide inbrackets" j, secured to the frame 9 and provided with a retractilespring k. The ends of the bars form the catches h, and the bars are bentas shown, so that the catches all operate in the same direction. ate thecatches simultaneously, the bars i are connected together by a yoke orbar 1, which is pulled forward against the action of the springs Z? tocause the catches h to project into t e legs f and is retained in thisposition by a fixed catch m, secured to the frame 9 at one side. Torelease the yoke Z and allow the catches to be withdrawn by the springsk, a lever n, fulcrumed at 0 on the frame 9 and formed with a handle pat its outer end, has a wedge or inclined projection at its inner endwhich is adapted to raise the yoke Z out of en agement with the catch mon beingforce against the yoke by operating handle p. Above the frame gof the lower table or support 6 is mounted a false top, consistin of anouter fixed frame g, of wood, supporte by brackets r from the frame g,Fig. 1, and an inner frame 8, resiliently supported within the outerfixed frame 9 by sprin s t, connected with the frame (1 and withdepending The opening within the frame 8 is covered by a cloths,supported on elastic hands a, or in any other manner, so as to bereadily dis laceable to allow a person or other body escending with thetable a to pass entirely through the frame 8, taking the cloth with himinto a canvas sheeting w or a padded trough attached to the frame g. Theframe 8 corresponds in size with the In order to opertop of table a, andin its lowered osition table a depresses frame 8 below the evel of theouter frame q, the table-top 0 taking up the position previouslyoccupied by the frame 8 and formmg the top of the'ibottom table. It

2 8 7 BEST AVAlLABLE co? will be readily understood that the cloths orcoverings of both table-to s should corre spond, so that thesubstitution of one for the other is not perceived.

Pads or cushions of rubber z are inserted in the bottoms of the legs f,onto which the legs 7) fall, and similar pads may be fixed under the topof table a, to absorb shock. The bottom table c has a drapery or fringee (shown in broken lines) hanging from the top sufliciently long to hidethe trough w.

When presenting the illusion, the performer introduces the false tableor support e, which to an audience has the appearance of an ordinarytable. The top table a is then placed in position on the table e and aerson, for instance, gets into the hammoc (1. On the performerwithdrawing the catches h by operating the handle p the table ainstantly descends into the support or false table e, the person in thehammock dropping into the trou h w.

hat we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Apparatus for producing a stage illusion consisting of a supporthaving the appearance of an ordinary table but provided with a false toa real table adapted to telesco e into the false table, catches orretaining (f;- vices on the false table ada ted to project under thelegs of the real ta 1e, and means for simultaneously Withdrawing thecatches,

I substantially as described.

2. Apparatus for producing a stage illusion "consisting of a supporthaving the appear} ance of an ordinary table but provide with a false toa real table adapted to telescoipe I into the alse table, catches orretaining vices on the false table ada ted to project under the legs ofthe real ta le, means for simultaneously withdrawing the catches, andmeans arranged below the top of the false table for catching a bodysuspended under the top of the real table.

3. Apparatus for producing a stage illusion consisting of a supporthaving the appearance of an ordinary table but provided with a false topand hollow legs, a real table adapted to telescope into the false table,catches or retaining devices on the false-table adapted to project underthe legs of the real table and means for simultaneously withdrawing thecatches to allow the real table to telescope into the false table orsupport.

4. In illusion ap aratus as described in which a table is mad% to disapear, a table or table-like support having a fa se top consisting of afixed frame arranged to form the edge of the false top,- and a movableframe resiliently su ported within the fixed frame and adapte to bedepressed below the level of the fixed frame.

5. In apparatus for reducing a stage illusion a table or table-1i esupport comprising hollow legs open at their upper ends, a metal frameconnected to the 'upper ends of the legs, a trough attached to theframing, a false top consisting of a fixed frame supported on the metalframing aforesaid, and a movable frame resiliently supported within thefixed frame and adapted to be depressed below the level of the fixedframe.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ERNEST THORN. THOMAS NELSON DOWNS.

Witnesses:

ALFRED N UTTING, FREDK. L. RAND.

